Newsletter: Edition 5 June 2013

Annual General Meeting The DBV Annual General Meeting will be held at the Boat School on Saturday 24 August at 12 noon. We would like to see a representative from each Victorian club present if possible. The DBV Constitution states that: The Board of Management shall be elected by the registered and financial Victorian Dragon Boat Clubs representatives in accordance with the following voting entitlements: (a.) A club with 22 or more registered members to be entitled to 4 votes. (b.) A club with 12 to 21 registered members to be entitled to 2 votes. (c.) A club with less than 12, but not less than 4 registered members be entitled to 1 vote. (d.) To vote the clubs representatives must be present at the AGM. Board Nominations The DBV Constitution states that Board nominations shall close 7 days prior to the AGM. Therefore, if you are interested in nominating, please send an email to secretary@dbvic.com.au. Your email must include a short summary of what you believe you would bring to the Board and what you can offer the Victorian paddling community. You do not need to elect a particular position on the board as specific roles are decided by board members after the election. We would also appreciate a photo of you as well. This is so that we can compile a list of nominees, photos and their summary information to circulate prior to the AGM. At this stage there are up to six positions available, so we would encourage as many people as possible to nominate, particularly those with legal/business/project management or other relevant skill sets, in order to offer a strong field of candidates to the voters. 2013/14 Direction for DBV Board members have been very busy drafting a DBV Business Plan for 2013/14. It will be tabled at the AGM, but in essence aims to define our vision and mission statements. It also outlines the activities we will undertake as a board to meet those mission statements.

During the next season, DBV aims to continue growing our level of professionalism. Our application to be recognised as the state governing body for dragon boat racing in Victoria is progressing well. Board members met with representatives from the Sports and Recreation branch of the Victorian Department of Planning and Community Development in early June. The Department accepted all of the documentation submitted and have advised that this should be sufficient to obtain approval as the recognised state sporting body for dragon boat racing in Victoria. The next step is for their team to submit a brief along with a recommendation for approval to the departmental executives. This is great news and a big step forward. If approved, DBV will gain access to: - Regular departmental news; - Inclusion in seminars around best practice in sports administration, recruitment, board operations etc;

- Invitations to networking events with other sporting bodies; - Access to grant application processes in certain circumstances (though being recognised does not guarantee a successful application). Winter fees If you have paddlers joining your club over winter, the fee to DBV will be $25.50. This includes insurance fees and administration fees only. Next year, the fee structure will be revised so that an annual fee will be payable no matter what time of year a paddler joins and this will just be renewed after every twelve months on an individual basis via the payment system on our new website (see below). New DBV website DBV has approached the market for quotes to redesign our website. The business requirements identified included an automated invoicing system and an online members area that houses a membership database. Uniform orders for the state team will also be managed online from next season and the general functionality and design of the website will be improved. Board members are currently considering the quotes provided and aim to have the work commenced by the AGM. New DBV TK1s The two new TK1s in Shed 2 are for the use of all Victorian clubs, including regional clubs as they are easily transportable. Lights have been purchased for the boats and a booking system and guidelines for the use of the TK1s is now ready and will be circulated to all club representatives by the DBV Secretary with this newsletter. We will be using an online system Share timetable to book the boats. Please note there are four boats housed in Shed 2. Two DBV owned boats (labelled), and two AusDBF owned boats. The AusDBF boats are only for use by The Auroras (The Australian Dragon Boat Team) only and should only be booked by these team members through this system. Proficiency testing arrangements are being finalised with coaches of each club. In the meantime, no paddler is to take out the TK1s without their coach or assistance coach being present. You must always go out in pairs and always stay in Victoria Harbour. Everything you need to know to book the boats will be circulated in the Guidelines.

Please also note if anyone wants to set up their own training boat the custom made floats can be ordered from DBV for $295 inc GST.

Invoicing for 2012/13 regattas We apologise for the delay in invoicing you for some events, our Treasurer has been overseas. Invoices will be provided as soon as possible the Treasurer is back as of 2 July 2013.

Australian Masters Games Registration is still open for the Australian Masters Games to be held in Geelong this year. If you are interested, please visit: http://www.australianmastersgames.com

For your calendar: June: Auroras Camp 2 Tallebudgera, QLD July: 18-23: Auroras Camp 3 Gyor, Hungary 24-28: Auroras World Championships, Szeged, Hungary August: 24: DBV Annual General Meeting Thats it for now. Happy paddling and well see you on the water!